The Viking Age
FanSided

TVA Weekly Digest: The 2018 NFL offseason is upon us

By Griffin Nelson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 21: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 21: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

WHAT IS A CATCH ANYWAYS?

Of course, Super Bowl LII had  to feature controversial calls regarding the catch rule last Sunday, did it not?

https://twitter.com/NFLUK/status/960348167815376896

Regarding the play above, I think Zach Ertz caught that football. Comparisons are being made between this and Jesse James’s overturned call against the New England Patriots in Week 15, but they’re completely different plays.

Going by the eye test, Ertz established himself as a player in possession of the football. I believe his dive can be classified as a “football move”.

If Ertz would’ve lost the ball at the one-yard line in the same fashion, it would’ve been classified as a fumble. The refs made the right call here.

Now here’s the real controversy…

I know Corey Clement did not catch that football. He clearly did not maintain possession of the ball before stepping out of bounds.

There’s a distinct bobble after the right foot is down and by the time he regathers the ball, his left foot is touching white. I thought for sure this would be overturned,  but it was not.

I guess I don’t know what a catch is. To be fair though, neither do some NFL stars.

Thankfully, the NFL and Roger Goodell have already talked about a much-needed revision of the NFL catch rule this offseason.

What it means for the Vikings:

The Vikings’ 2017 season was relatively void of any true catch or no catch controversies. But in a game where anything can happen, it would be nice to have some consistency out of the officials when making these types of calls.

A catch shouldn’t be a balls and strikes-type judgement call, where each ref has a separate interpretation of the rule. It should be as simple as crossing the finish line or putting the ball in the basket.

However, devising a proper definition of a catch has been a tumultuous task for the NFL for the better part of the last decade.

I’m not betting on them cracking the code over one offseason.

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